Page:A Voyage of Discovery and Research in the Southern and Antarctic Regions Vol 1.djvu/370

272 fact, but for the bare rocks where the icebergs had broken from we would scarce have known it for land at first, but as we stood in for it we plainly perceived smoke arising from the mountain tops. It is evidently volcanic, as specimens of stone, or rather cinders, will prove; the cliffs are perpendicular, and what in all probability would have been valleys and beaches are occupied by solid blocks of ice. I could not see a beach or harbour, or any thing like one. Returned on board at 7, and got the vessels safely through the drift ice before dark, and ran along the land."

Indications of land are frequently mentioned in the Log of the Eliza Scott during the following fortnight as she sailed to the westward along the parallel of the sixty-fifth degree of latitude, and on the 26th, when in lat. 64° 40′ S., and long. 131° 35′ E., and therefore only a few miles to the westward of the high barrier of ice seen by D'Urville on the 30th of January of the following year, and named by him Côte Clarie, the Log states, "that at 8 it cleared off a little, and we thought we saw land to the eastward, tacked, and stood for it. At 11 30  made it out to be fog hanging over some icebergs." Thick weather, with snow and sleet, followed, which prevented a further examination of this part of the coast. From nearly this position Lieutenant Wilkes says, "On the 7th (February, 1840) we had much better weather, and continued all day running along the perpendicular icy barrier, about one hundred and fifty feet